2012 Survey

In the 2012 election cycle, we surveyed all candidates running for the State Legislature.

One major objective of the NFOA-PAF is to increase the pro-gun contingency in the Nebraska Legislature, so we are dedicated to supporting candidates who support Nebraskans’ firearms rights. Therefore, we provide endorsements and support to candidates who take a firm stand to protect gun rights in Nebraska. An NFOA-PAF endorsement or support requires much more than a candidate parroting, “I support the Second Amendment, but…” We expect endorsed candidates to defend Nebraskans’ Constitutionally-protected rights while standing their ground against new gun control proposals disguised as compromises.

We are a “single issue” PAC. Many people have other issues that are important to them. We understand that. But just as it would not be right for a pro-life group to endorse on the basis of gay rights issues, it is not appropriate for us to consider anything but Second Amendment rights when issuing our grades and endorsements. We recommend you find other groups that grade candidates on those issues that are important to you.

The NFOA-PAF bases its grades upon the voting history of incumbents or others that have held office as well as how active they have been in supporting the efforts of firearms owners on moving legislation. For those who do not have a legislative history, we base our grade primarily off of our Candidate Survey but include our thoughts based upon conversations and other interactions that we have had with the candidates. Remember that not all districts are the same and coming out to support a particular question or issue can adversely affect the electability of some candidates in some districts. If you have a question about support for your Second Amendment rights from a candidate that did not respond to this survey, we recommend that you speak with them directly. This lets them know that this issue is important to you and at the same time you can judge their support. We also appreciate you encouraging your legislative candidates to complete our survey if they have not.

What the grades mean:

A+ = a strong supporter who has done more than vote with us every time. They are candidates who have answered a call to do specific work to improve our laws. We have kept the A+ rating very rare so you can identify the best of the best.

A = a candidate who supports what we have done and what we have left to do.

Aq = a candidate “A” grade that is based solely on their questionnaire. We have no voting record to evaluate.

B = a candidate who agrees with most of what we are doing and most of what we hope to accomplish in the upcoming legislative session. This is generally the lowest grade someone can have to earn our endorsement.

C = a candidate who has been helpful with some issues, but has been against us on others. Oftentimes they simply need education to help them understand our issues, but sometimes they have concerns that we can not address without unduly burdening the law-abiding gun owner.

D = someone who generally votes against us, but is not necessarily hostile towards our rights.

F = someone who has a terrible voting record, is openly hostile toward our rights, and/or has worked or helped others to restrict our rights.

??? = someone who did not return a candidate survey, has no voting record, and for whom we could not find any pertinent information relating to firearms rights.

We now list every candidate with a letter grade, or a “??” if we do not know anything about them. While it is possible for a “??”-graded candidate to be a supporter of your Second Amendment rights, most supporters know us and are known by us. Be careful.